Four Man Team Seven
by Akatsuki Leader13
Summary: AU Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kenshi Mitsurugi, they were Team Seven. This is their story.
1. Enter Team Seven

Yo everybody! The first chapter is done. Originally, I was going to the whole introduction and bell test in chapter, but I feel that it's grown too large so I've decided to split into two chapters. Now I know this chapter is pretty canon with no real changes beyond the inclusion of my OC, but bare with me. This chapter and the next one are merely setting things up for what will happen. Also, a few have asked me about the Wave Arc. It happened, I'm just not writing it, for two reasons. First, there isn't a whole lot I would change to the Wave Arc, so it would be more of this rather than the new stuff of my creation that most fans would want. Second, I really want to get to the Chunin Exams, where I can have a lot of fun with things.

And I will say this, there will be plenty of other changes down the road besides just my OCs. I will reveal that only two of the Chunin prelim matches from the canon will still happen. The rest...well, you'll just have to wait and see.

I'd also like to give a special thanks to Amiriah, who did an absolutely wonderful job as beta reader for this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, merely my OCs.

**Chapter One: Enter Team Seven  
**

Naruto Uzumaki grinned as he entered the classroom, his brand new (well, brand new for him) Konoha forehead protector holding up his spiky blond hair. He was ecstatic. Today was the day that he would be assigned his team and begin serving as a genin of the Leaf Village. After today, he'd be going on missions and learn all kinds of new jutsu, all the while coming closer and closer to becoming Hokage. Naruto couldn't wait!

Ignoring some of the surprised looks on faces of some of the other new genin, Naruto headed for the nearest empty bench, sitting down. It wasn't long before one of his classmates approached, Shikamaru Nara, the laziest guy in the entire Academy, if not the entire village. "Hey Naruto, what are you doing here?" he asked. "Today's class is for those who _passed_."

Naruto looked up at Shikamaru, a little annoyed at his words. "Take a look at the headband!" he exclaimed, a hand grabbing his headband.

Shikamaru shrugged, muttering "Whatever," as he walked off, far too lazy to deal with the hyperactive blond.

"Excuse me, may I pass?" another voice inquired moments later.

Once again, Naruto turned over to the voice and instantly blushed. It was Sakura Haruno, who, in Naruto's opinion, was the most beautiful girl in the class. She wore a red qipao dress with white circular designs and tight dark green shorts. Her forehead protector was resting behind her ears, holding her long pink hair in place.

As Naruto stared at her, annoyance flashed across Sakura's green eyes. "Move it Naruto!" she yelled, startling Naruto. "I'm trying to get around you!"

Naruto glanced behind him, staring at who was sitting at the other end of the bench… Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto scowled at him. Sasuke Uchiha, the Rookie of the Year, and a Grade A jackass as far as Naruto was concerned. Sasuke was cold and aloof, yet despite that, nearly every girl in class was attracted to him, including Sakura. The pale teen wore plain white shorts, a dark blue shirt with a red and white fan on the back, and like Naruto, his Leaf headband was rest resting on his forehead. His hair and eyes were black, like all the members of his clan.

At that moment, Sasuke's eyes moved, glancing at Naruto. He turned to face Naruto. "You want something?" he coldly asked.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Naruto exclaimed, annoyed by his tone. "Are you talkin' to me?"

Before either of them could react, Sakura pushed Naruto out of her way, moving in between the two. "Good morning Sasuke. Is this seat taken?" she eagerly asked, ready to sit down next to him.

Naruto sat back up as Sakura sat down. He shook his head, watching Sakura try to get as close to Sasuke as possible. "Excuse me, could you please move over a little?" someone else politely asked.

Naruto turned around, facing the person. It was Kenshi Mitsurugi, another of student from his class. He didn't know much about Kenshi, he was a bit on the quiet side and tended to stick to himself. They had only talked to each other a few times in the three years they had spent in the same class. But at least he wasn't like some of the other jerks in the class, namely Sasuke and Kiba. Standing an inch shorter than Sasuke, Kenshi's short brown hair was styled into spikes, held up in part by his headband which had longer ties than a normal one. He wore a pair of dark blue pants with shuriken holsters on both thighs and sandals on his feet while on his chest he wore a gray light jacket.

Naruto nodded, moving over to allow Kenshi to sit down before turning his complete attention back to Sakura again, who was still utterly focused on Sasuke. Naruto scowled. _'What's so great about him?'_

An instant later, he was kneeling on the desk, staring down Sasuke, who was staring back at him in return. Needless to say, Sakura was not pleased by this. "Naruto! Leave Sasuke alone!"

At that very moment, a boy in the row in front of theirs, moved suddenly, bumping into Naruto's leg. Naruto fell forward, his face hitting Sasuke's, pushing their lips against each other.

Somehow, in less than a second, everyone was staring at the lip-locked pair. Nearly every girl in the class was frozen in shock while most of the guys were just staring at them in disbelief, a few snickering.

Kenshi started laughing as Naruto and Sasuke pulled away, spitting and gagging. "Ha ha ha! Oh man! That is priceless! The two of…Ha ha ha…The two of you lip-locked like that!" he said, struggling just to stay up from his laughing. "I wish I had a camera! That was just so hil-Ow!"

"That wasn't funny!" Sakura shouted, standing over Kenshi as he held his head in pain.

"Yes ma'am," Kenshi replied, fearful of another hit.

Next to the two, Naruto collapsed over the side of the desk, his breakfast threatening to spill out.

"Naruto…" Sakura uttered, her attention now on the blond.

Naruto slowly and fearfully turned around as Sakura cracked her knuckles. "It was accident," Naruto pleaded.

But Sakura didn't listen…

* * *

Iruka entered the room, a clipboard in his hand. "From this day forward, you are no longer mere students of ninjutsu, but full-fledged shinobi. But among the ranks of the shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low," he said to the gathered students…former students. "Your greatest challenges all lie ahead. The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village."

"Now, normally all of you would be sorted into three-man teams, however, due to a surprise graduate, there will be a single four-man team in addition to the three-man teams. Each team will be mentored by a jonin, who will guide and coach you as you become more familiar with your various assignments. Each team has been balanced so that their skills are about even."

Naruto only half listened to his former teacher, still bruised and sore from the beating Sakura gave him. It wasn't fair! Why did she care so much about Sasuke? What made him so special? What did Sasuke have that he didn't? _'I can do anything that arrogant jackass can do. No, anything Sasuke can do, I can do better! I even have the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Can Sasuke do that? No way!'_

At that moment, Iruka's words pulled Naruto from his thoughts. "And Team Seven will be our four-man team. Members are, Kenshi Mitsurugi, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki-"

Naruto cheered, ignoring Sakura's groan.

"And Sasuke Uchiha," Iruka finished, earning a groan from Naruto and a cheer from Sakura.

Kenshi merely shrugged, a slight grin on his face. _'The four-man team? I didn't think I would end up as a member of the Rookie of the Year's team, much less that team,' _he thought.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was less than thrilled though his face bore no emotion. _'They better not hold me back.'_

"Hey! Iruka-sensei!" Naruto yelled, shooting up from his seat. "Why are you pairing a great shinobi like me with that loser!"

Iruka sighed, rubbing the scarred bridge of his nose. "Of the twenty-eight graduates, Sasuke has the highest marks in the class. Both Sakura and Kenshi are overall in the middle of the class, while you are at the bottom of the class," he explained. "The idea is to balance out your different strengths. _That's_ why you ended up together."

"Just don't hold me back, Dobe," Sasuke said.

"What'd you call me?" Naruto shouted back.

"Knock it off Naruto!" Sakura yelled at Naruto, once again annoyed by his antics. "Quit bothering Sasuke!"

With that, she struck Naruto again, her fists hitting him again and again. "Ow! Stop it! Ah! Ow! Help! Ow!"

Sasuke gave no outward reaction what so ever, while Kenshi backed away from the pair. "I'm… gonna sit this one out. She can hit pretty hard."

Iruka quietly chuckled. _'They'll work things out eventually. Even Naruto.'

* * *

_

Their jonin-sensei was late…really late, leaving the newly established Team Seven waiting in the classroom for over an hour. Sasuke sat at one of the tables, waiting quietly for the jonin to show up. Kenshi sat on another bench, his sandaled feet resting on a table, half-napping. Sakura was leaning up against the same table while Naruto paced back and forth impatiently.

Suddenly, the blond growled in frustration and rushed to the door, opening it up a crack and peering into the hallway, looking for some sign of the jonin. "That's it! I can't take it anymore!" he shouted out in the hall.

Naruto rushed over to Iruka's desk, grabbing his chair before grabbing an eraser from the blackboard, carrying the two back to the door. He climbed atop the chair, jamming the eraser into the practically open door.

"Knock it off Naruto," Sakura said, annoyed at his antics. "You're going to get us in trouble."

"Let him do it," Kenshi replied, his eyes closed. "It's better than having him pace around the room like he has been."

"Hmph. There's no way a jonin could fall for such a simple booby trap," Sasuke added.

However, Sasuke was about to be proven wrong. A one-eyed, silver haired man opened the door, the eraser hitting him on the head. Naruto started laughing uncontrollably. "Ha ha ha ha! Gotcha!"

Kenshi started laughing as well, though not quite as much as Naruto. "That actually worked!" he exclaimed. "I…I don't believe it!"

"I'm terribly sorry sensei," Sakura apologized, hoping to avoid any punishment for Naruto's actions. "I tried to stop him, but Naruto…"

Internally however… _**"Hell yeah!"**_ Inner Sakura shouted. _**"That was awesome!"**_

'_So this is our elite jonin leader,'_ Sasuke thought, staring at the man who had fallen for such an utterly simple trap. _'He looks completely hopeless.'_

"Hmm… How shall I put this?" the man pondered, his calm and laid back, hiding any annoyance he may have felt. "Based on my first impression…I hate you all."

* * *

A short while later, the jonin and the genin were sitting around on the roof of the Academy. "Now, I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves," the jonin said, leaning against the guard railing.

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

"You know the usual. Your likes, your dislikes, dreams, ambitions, hobbies, stuff like that."

"Help us out here sensei," Naruto complained. "You go first. Show us how it's done."

"That's right. After all, you're a complete stranger to us," Sakura added.

"Oh…Me? My name is Kakashi Hatake," he said, introducing himself. "Things I like and things I hate...I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future... never really thought about it. As for my hobbies...I have lots of hobbies."

'_All he said was his name…'_ the annoyed genin thought at the same time.

"How about you next," Kakashi said, pointing to Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen and when Iruka-sensei treats me out to ramen at Ichiraku's. I hate the three minute wait after you pour the boiling water for the ramen."

'_He appears to have nothing but ramen on his mind,'_ Kakashi thought as Naruto listed off his likes and dislikes.

"And my dream is to be the greatest Hokage!" Naruto yelled out, his voice loud and determined. "That way, people will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody. Someone important!"

Kakashi studied the boy carefully, intrigued by his words. _'Well, hasn't he turned out interesting.'_

"My hobbies are…pranks and practical jokes I guess," the blond finished.

The silver haired jonin nodded his head. "Alright, next."

Kenshi was the one sitting next to Naruto, so he spoke up. "My name's Kenshi Mitsurugi. I like chocolate pocky…well, anything with chocolate in it, working at my mom's shop and the feel of a finely crafted ninja tool or weapon in my hand. I dislike when people try to pass off a clearly inferior crafted piece of equipment as something superior."

'_He's definitely his parents' child,'_ Kakashi mused, remembering past missions where he had fought alongside Kaitou and Shuzaya Mitsurugi, recalling their particular love of weapons, both creating and using them. _'All he's missing is a weapon of his own.'_

"I guess my hobby would be drawing in my free time." A grin spread across his face. "And my dream is to become the greatest weapon master Konoha has ever seen."

"Next," Kakashi said, turning to Sasuke.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything," Sasuke said, his tone cold. "What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone"

'…_That's kinda creepy,'_ Kenshi thought, subconsciously inching away from Sasuke.

A few beads of cold sweat slid down Naruto's brow. _'Hope it's not me.'_

Sakura on the other hand, was in awe of her crush. _'Whoa… Sasuke's so cool!'_

Kakashi stared at the Last Uchiha for a moment. _'I thought as much.'_ With that, Kakashi turned to his final potential student. "And now for the young lady."

"I'm Sakura Haruno. My favorite thing is…" The girl took a glance at Sasuke and blushed. "Well, it's not a thing; it's a person, a boy…" Her blush darkened. "Let's move on to my dream…" She blushed the hardest at that moment. "I hate Naruto!" Sakura then proclaimed, earning a groan from Naruto.

Kakashi rolled his eye. _'It sounds like girls are more interested in love than in ninjutsu these days.'_

The jonin cleared his throat. "Okay, I think we all understand one training begins tomorrow."

"Alright! Our first real ninja mission!" Naruto cheered, eager and ready for anything.

And he wasn't the only one. Both Sakura and Kenshi were grinning as well, nearly as excited and eager as their teammate. Sasuke, however, appeared in different to everything, hiding how he truly felt. "So what's going to be our mission sensei?" Sakura asked.

"It will involve just the members of this team," Kakashi answered.

"So what will our mission be?" Naruto asked.

"Survival exercises."

Kakashi's announcement earned looks of surprise and confusion from the genin. "Eh? Survival exercises?" Naruto spoke up, voicing what was on all of their minds.

"But we've had tons of survival exercises back when we were in the Academy," Sakura added.

"Ah, but this time, you'll have to survive against me," Kakashi pointed out.

A sense of dread began to creep in the four genin. Something deep down in each of them began to say that this wasn't going to be a simple exercise. "What kinda practice is it?" Naruto asked, a faint hint of nervousness in his voice.

At that moment, Kakashi tried and failed to suppress a snicker.

"Why are you laughing Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura inquired.

"If I told you, you'd chicken out," Kakashi calmly replied.

"What? Why?" Naruto demanded, insulted by the notion that he would ever chicken out of anything.

"Out of the twenty-eight graduating members of your class, only nine, or perhaps ten, of you will actually be accepted as genin. The rest will be send back to the Academy for a year," Kakashi explained. "The test you're going to take tomorrow has a sixty-six percent failure rate."

A sixty-six percent failure rate… Those odds did little to assure the genin. Doubt and fear began to grip them, even the stoic Uchiha. The idea of their ninja careers potentially ending after only two days was affecting them noticeably. Their skin paled as they broke out into cold sweats, the panic and worry visible on their faces. Kakashi chuckled some more. "See, you're chickening out already."

"That sucks!" Naruto shouted, angry that he had to go through another test. "What about the graduation tests we went through?"

"Oh that? We just wanted to eliminate the utterly hopeless from those who have actual potential," Kakashi said with a wave of his hand.

"What?" Naruto shouted, realized that he had technically failed that test.

"In any event, I've reserved one of the training fields for us tomorrow so I can evaluate your skills and weaknesses," Kakashi explained. "Be sure to bring all of you ninja tools and weapons. You'll need them. Oh, and don't eat breakfast before hand, you'll only throw it up." At that moment, the jonin produced four sheets of paper. "These handouts have all the info you'll need. Memorize them, and don't be late."

'_I can't fail! That would mean leaving Sasuke!'_ Sakura thought, reaching out and grabbing the paper. _'This is like a test of my love!'_

Kenshi brought the paper up to his face, gulping as he began to read it. _'Survival exercises against a jonin? Oh man… Now I know why mom was so quiet this morning…'_

Naruto's eyes raced back and forth across the page. '_No way will I let this hold me back! I'll kick Kakashi-sensei's ass! And then I'll finally start getting some respect around here.'_

Having read and memorized the paper, Sasuke crumpled it up. _'I won't let this, or anything else stop me from getting stronger.'

* * *

_

The Next Day_  
_

"Good morning class," Kakashi cheerfully said to the waiting genin as he approached.

But the genin weren't happy in the slightest. "You're late!" Naruto, Sakura and Kenshi shouted at him in annoyance while Sasuke quietly glared at him.

Ignoring their glares, Kakashi pulled out an alarm clock, setting it on one of the three logs that were standing in the field. "I've set this alarm to go off at noon," he explained, turning to the genin while pulling something out of one of the pouches, a pair of small bells on strings.

"I have here two small bells. Your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails doesn't get any lunch. Instead, you will be tied to a tree stump, so I can eat your lunch in front of you."

_'So that's why you wanted us to go without breakfast…' _the genin thought, their stomachs growling in hunger.

"Since there aren't enough bells to go around, at least two of you will be going without lunch today," Kakashi continued, giving the bells a brief ring. "But not only that, those who do not have bells at the end of the test, will fail and be sent back to the Academy. You may use any tools, weapons and jutsu you have, but be sure to come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise, you will never get one."

"But that's dangerous sensei!" Sakura protested.

"Yeah Kakashi-sensei," Kenshi added. "One of us could get seriously hurt here."

"Oh? Are the two of you chickening out now?" Kakashi asked, his eye focused on the two. "If so, than leave now and go back to the Academy."

But they didn't, they couldn't. It would mean spending another year back there, around younger kids. It was an utterly humiliating notion, and something neither of them were willing to do.

"Ha! Bring it on! You couldn't even dodge an eraser!" Naruto yelled, confident in his ability. "You're gonna get killed!"

The jonin rolled his eye. "Only the weak speak loudly," he replied to Naruto's boast. "Let's just ignore the dunce. We'll start when I say go."

'_Dunce! I'll show him a dunce!'_ Naruto growled, grabbing a kunai from his holster, pulling it back to throw it at Kakashi.

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out from behind him, one grabbing his head, the other grabbing his wrist, pulling it and the kunai back behind Naruto's head. "Not so fast. I didn't say go yet," Kakashi dryly said, now standing behind him.

Sakura was in awe of Kakashi at that moment. _'Whoa… I didn't even see him move.'_

'_So this is a jonin,'_ Sasuke thought, studying the man carefully. Though he wouldn't admit it, he hadn't seen Kakashi move either.

Kenshi just stared at the jonin. _'If he's this fast, how are any of us suppose to get a bell?_' he wondered.

"But at least you had the intent to kill me," Kakashi continued, pushing Naruto forward. "So…how do I put this…I'm beginning to like you guys. Get ready…and…start!"

The four genin took off, hiding among the brush and trees of the training field. Kakashi looked around, observing their hiding places. "Ninjas must know how to conceal their movements and hide effectively," he stated, reciting the first sentence of the stealth section in the Beginner's Guide to Ninjas, the first book they read in the Academy. "Well, they understand that much. They've hidden themselves well."

But he had spoken to soon…

"You and me! Right now, one on one!" Naruto shouted, standing in front of the jonin. "Let's go!"

_'I should have known…'_ Kakashi thought, eying up the hyperactive blond in disbelief. He found it hard to believe that any new genin would so brazenly seek to fight him up front, rather than ambush him. Clearly, Naruto was… _different_. "You know…you're a little weird."

"Oh yeah!" an annoyed Naruto yelled out, running at Kakashi. "The only thing weird here is your hair!"

Kakashi reached into a small bag on the back of his waist. "Ninja Lesson Number One: Taijutsu, Body Techniques," he said, pulling something out.

Naruto stopped, waiting to see what the jonin was bringing out to use, wondering why Kakashi would use a weapon when talking about taijutsu.

Then Kakashi pulled it out…

…a book, entitled 'Make-Out Paradise'.

"WHAT?" Naruto exclaimed, staring at the jonin in utter shock and disbelief as he began to read.

Kakashi glanced up from the novel. "Hmm? Is something wrong? I thought you were going to come at me?"

"But…but you're reading a book!"

"I know. I've been dying to find out how it ends," Kakashi replied. "Carry on. It won't make any difference considering who I'm up against."

Insulted once more, Naruto roared, leaping up at Kakashi with a raised fist. But his punch was effortlessly blocked by the palm of Kakashi's free hand. Naruto spun his body, trying to kick the jonin, only to watch Kakashi duck down, avoiding the foot. Frustrated, by his failure to land a blow, Naruto landed on his feet and lunged at the jonin.

But once again, Kakashi disappeared in a burst of speed, appearing behind the blond genin, his hands together in the sign of the tiger. "Hidden Leaf Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!"

Naruto screamed out in pain, grabbing his rear, flying into the nearby stream.

From his hiding spot, Kenshi rapidly blinked his eyes a few times in disbelief and disgust at what just happened. _'…What was that? And who would ever actually use that technique?'_

Sakura felt the same way. _'…No way that's a real technique. All he did was shove his fingers up Naruto's butt!'_

Sasuke was less than impressed by Kakashi's 'technique' as well. _'…They're both nothing but buffoons.'_

"I still find it hard to believe that we have a four-man team this year," Iruka said, as he sat at the table. "In the four years I've spent teaching in the Academy, that's never happened until now."

* * *

Across from him sat the Third Hokage, whom Iruka was having morning tea with. Since classes were over for the next couple of weeks and he had little else to do, the chunin had been helping the Hokage and the others dispense missions to the various teams. It was rather dull and easy compared to managing a classroom full of hyperactive children.

Iruka couldn't wait for classes to resume.

"Yes, it is a rare occurrence nowadays. The last time that happened was about…oh six years ago," the Third replied. "But it is not a freak occurrence; a teacher like yourself should know that Iruka."

"Every once and awhile, we have an odd genin or two, or a shortage of jonin instructors, forcing us to have larger team or two in response, so that all of the students have a fair chance to prove their worth." Sarutobi paused, sipping from his cup of tea.

"Of course, back in the older days, when things were far less peaceful, larger genin teams were more common due to the fact that most of the capable jonin were needed for highly dangerous missions. Even during the last Great Shinobi War, there were years when we had to use larger genin teams because of the shortage of jonin. I remember my own…" The Third paused for a moment, looking back into the past.

But once it passed, he shook his head and set down his cup, staring intently at Iruka. "But you did not come here to drink tea with me and talk history, did you Iruka?"

"No…" Iruka admitted, hesitating to speak his concern. "The jonin you assigned to Naruto and the others, what kind of teacher is he? Is he strict? Will he judge them fairly, based on their abilities?"

Sarutobi chuckled. He knew that Iruka, like he himself, was quite fond of Naruto and was clearly quite concerned about how the boy and his team would fair against their final test, undoubtedly wanting nothing more than for Naruto to become a genin.

The Third pulled out a book from his robes. "Here, see for yourself," he said, offering it to the chunin. "This is the roster of all of Kakashi's previous teams, who passed and who failed."

Iruka took the small booklet, flipping it open, scanning over the pages. After a moment, he paled, realizing the disturbing truth of the matter. "This…this says…"

"Yes," the Third Hokage said, nodding his head. "There's no denying that Kakashi's test is a bit more difficult than the rest."

"A _bit_ more difficult?" Iruka exclaimed, picturing Naruto coming back, his spirit broken by failure. "Not a single student has ever passed his test!"

"That's true. While many have tried, none have yet to meet Kakashi's standards," Sarutobi admitted. "They've all failed."

* * *

And done. Now to finish up the other half for your enjoyment.


	2. Kakashi's Test: Pass or Fail?

Yo! I actually had this chapter done like a week and a half ago, but I didn't want to post it until I was nearly finished the third chapter. Which I have now finished. I'm just waiting to if Amiriah wants to become my permanent beta for this story.

**Chapter Two: Kakashi's Test: Pass or Fail?**

"Nice try Kakashi-sensei! But it's good enough!" Naruto shouted, striking one of his shadow clones.

"Ow! I'm not the imposter!" the clone yelled back.

Naruto turned to another clone. "Then it must be you!" he roared, attacking it.

This led a big battle royal slugfest between the dozen Narutos standing in the field. From their hiding spots, Naruto's teammates could only shake their heads at his actions, wondering just how dense he could be. Naruto had mistakenly believed that Kakashi had used a transformation jutsu to himself amongst the Naruto clones, when in reality he had used a substitution jutsu, swapping places with one of the clones.

'_Well, at least they're amusing to watch,'_ Kenshi thought as pair of shadow clones head butted each other, causing them both to disperse into two clouds of smoke. _'But…that means that Kakashi-sensei is somewhere nearby. Maybe I can ambush him and get a bell!'_

Kenshi took a look at his surroundings, searching for some sign of the jonin. To his surprise, Kakashi was leaning against a tree, his attention entirely on his book. _'He's just standing there. It's got to be a trick or something…' _Kenshi shook his head, pushing aside his doubts. _'It doesn't matter. I need a bell or I'm going to be sent back.'_

Reaching into his thigh holsters, he pulled out half a dozen shurikens. While most of his skills in the Academy had been average at best, his skill with weapons had been second only to Sasuke in their class. Taking a deep breath, he aimed at the jonin, exhaling as he dropped down from his hiding place in a tree, throwing the metal stars.

Without even looking, Kakashi pulled out a kunai, using it to effortlessly deflect each shuriken. Kakashi's eye looked up from his book, shurikens hitting the ground around him. "Ninja Lesson Number Two: Ninja Tools and Weapons," he said in his usual, casual tone.

Kenshi wasn't about to repeat Naruto's mistake in waiting for Kakashi to make the first move, throwing more shurikens and kunai knives as fast as he could.

But the jonin was as fast as lightning, his kunai hitting each and every flying weapon, knocking them down and away from him.

However, Kenshi's attack wouldn't last long as he emptied his holsters. The genin froze, drawing the last two weapons. He glanced down at his empty weapon pouches, his last two kunai in his hands. _'Shoot! I didn't think he'd be able to deflect them all like that.'_

With no other option, Kenshi raced forward, swinging his kunai, one after the other at Kakashi.

The jonin blocked the first knife with his own, then flicking his wrist, knocking the kunai from his hand. As the second weapon came at him, Kakashi twisted his body, stepping the knife and striking the back of Kenshi's head with his forearm.

The genin slammed into the tree Kakashi had been leaning against. But before the rookie collect himself and move back from the tree, a barrage of weapons flew at him.

Kenshi could only stare wide eyed over his shoulder at the jonin, his body pinned to the tree by over a dozen of kunai and shurikens that were stabbing through the sides of his pants and jacket. Worst, they were his _own_ weapons.

"A bit of advice, when throwing shurikens and kunai, it's unwise to throw them all at once. It limits your options." Kakashi said, once more reading Make-Out Paradise. "But on the positive side, your throws were quite nice for a rookie. You clearly have some talent in that area."

The pinned genin let out an annoyed sigh, banging his covered forehead on the tree.

* * *

Elsewhere, a battered and worn out Naruto looked around the clearing. All of his clones were gone, with no sign of Kakashi. He growled in frustration. "Hey! Where'd you go Kakashi-sensei?" the blond shouted.

That's when he saw it. A bell lying next to a tree. A fox-like grin spread across his face as he chuckled. "He must have dropped one while we fighting!" he said to himself, trying but failing to keep his voice low.

However, just as he was about to reach for the bell, Naruto sprung the obvious trap. A rope wrapped around Naruto's ankles. "AAAAARGH!" he screamed, flying into the air.

Naruto found himself hanging upside-down from the tree, only a few feet from the bell. He vainly thrashed around, making attempts to grab the bell. But he was just too far away.

At that moment Kakashi appeared, approaching Naruto and the bell. "You know, if something looks like it's too good to be true, it usually is," he said, kneeling down to collect the bell. "And as a ninja, you need to be able to see through deception, to see underneath what's underneath."

Nearby, Sasuke watched from his vantage point in a tree, studying Kakashi for the slightest drop of his guard.

"I know that!" Naruto snapped.

"I'm telling you this because you don't get it," the jonin replied, relaxing his stance. "You think you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it. Get it?"

'_There! He's finally dropped his guard!'_ Sasuke mentally exclaimed, drawing some of his kunai and shuriken.

Naruto opened his mouth, about to respond to Kakashi, when half a dozen kunai and shuriken slammed into the gray haired jonin's side and head. Naruto gasped as Kakashi was thrown by the force of the impact. His eyes shot to where the weapons had come from, to Sasuke. "What did you do Sasuke?" Naruto demanded.

As though to answer his question, Kakashi exploded in a cloud of smoke, revealing a log with kunai knives and shuriken embedded in it.

'_Another substitution jutsu,'_ Sasuke realized, jumping from his now exposed hiding place, heading into a section of deep brush. _'He pretended to lower his guard and like an amateur, I fell for it.'_

"Hey Sasuke! Get me down from here!" Naruto called out to the running Sasuke ignored him, disappearing into the brush.

* * *

Elsewhere, Sakura had left her own hiding place, having lost sight of everyone, including Sasuke and now traveling through the brush. She was worried about Sasuke. _'Maybe Kakashi-sensei defeated Sasuke,'_ Sakura thought.

She vigorously shook her head in response. _'No! I refuse to believe that! Sasuke wouldn't lose!'_

At that instant, Sakura saw something, her eyes widening. She quickly and as silently as possible, dove behind a nearby bush.

Carefully, Sakura peered through the leaves and branches of the bush. Standing less than a dozen feet from her was Kakashi, reading his book, the bells dangling from his waist.

'_He hasn't noticed me. Maybe I can-'_

"Sakura behind you!" a voice urgently whispered to her at that instant.

The pink haired genin spun around, coming face to face with Kakashi. Before she could react, he went through a series of rapid hand seals. The wind picked up, blowing countless leaves in front of the jonin, spiraling before him.

Suddenly, he disappeared before her eyes. "Huh? Where did he go?" Sakura asked aloud, searching for their sensei.

"Sakura!" she heard someone very, very familiar called out.

It was Sasuke!

Sakura instantly spun around, coming face to face with her crush…

"Sakura…" Sasuke rasped, his body bloodied and battered, dozens of kunai knives piercing his skin. "Sakura…Help…me…"

The female genin let out a loud, ear-piercing scream before she collapsed, passing out from shock.

"I think I over did it a little," Kakashi commented from atop a nearby tree branch, turning the page of Make-Out Paradise he just finished. "But she's got to learn to see through these things."

He dropped down from the tree, the bells ringing as he landed. "Ninja Lesson Three: Genjutsu, Illusion Techniques. Sakura studied them in the Academy, but she still fell for it. Three down, one to go."

"I'm not like the others," Sasuke coldly stated, standing nearby.

"Save it until after you have a bell Sasuke," the jonin calmly replied, closing his book but otherwise unimpressed by the Uchiha's words.

For a moment, the two just stood there, waiting for the other to make the first move. In the end, Sasuke struck first, throwing a trio of shurikens at the silver haired jonin.

* * *

Naruto grumbled as he tried to get the rope around his ankles untied. Unfortunately for the blond, escaping from ropes happened to be one of the lessons he had failed in the past.

Nearby, Kenshi had finally managed to pull out the last of his kunai knives and shurikens, throwing back into his holsters.

Neither of them were pleased by how Kakashi had bested them so easily. He beat them like they were nothing but first year Academy students. It was humiliating!

Kenshi punched the tree he had been pinned to. "It's almost noon. I'm running out of time," he said, frustrated at this whole stupid test. "If I get sent back, it's all over. Who ever heard of a ninja who failed their final test to be a genin?"

"Hey! Kenshi, cut me down!" Naruto called out to his teammate, desperately wanting to get out before all of the blood rushed to his head.

The brown haired genin was pulled from his thoughts, studying Naruto and the tree he was hanging from for a moment. "I don't think that's a good idea," he replied.

"What? Why not?" Naruto demanded.

"Well…Don't you…" Kenshi started, but he quickly paused, thinking about things. _'Wait. If Naruto's out and about, that reduces my chances of getting a bell. Sorry Naruto, but I'm not gonna fail this test.'_He cleared his throat. "Never mind, I'll help you out," he said, reaching for a shuriken.

A second later, the throwing star sliced through the rope. Naruto fell, flipping right-side up before his feet hit the ground.

"Ha ha! Thanks, Kens-" Suddenly, the second trap that had been unnoticed by Naruto triggered. Rope wrapped around Naruto's ankles and he screamed as he was thrown up into the air again. As this was happening, Kenshi took off, looking for Kakashi and the bells.

As he began to hang upside-down again, Naruto started thrashing and hollering, cursing out Kakashi, his traps, and Kenshi for not warning him. But it was during this tantrum, that Naruto spotted something…

There, sitting on the large stone that stood across from the three logs, were the three bento boxes that Kakashi had brought with him.

A foxy grin spread across Naruto's face. "A ninja needs to see underneath what's underneath," he quoted, formulating a plan.

* * *

In another clearing, Sasuke sat on his knees, taking a moment to recover from his latest attempt to acquire one of the bells. He had come very, _very_ close, managing to brush a finger against one of them.

Across from the Uchiha stood Kakashi, who aside from no longer reading his beloved Make-Out Paradise showed no sign of slowing down anytime soon. "Well… I will acknowledge that you are different from the others," the jonin admitted. "But not by a whole lot**-**and certainly not enough to get a bell from me."

Sasuke scowling, growing increasingly annoyed at Kakashi and his taunts as well as frustrated at himself for not being able to acquire a bell for himself. But he still had an ace in his sleeve, something the jonin wouldn't see coming.

The genin stood up, bringing his hands to together, forming the horse hand seal, followed swiftly by the tiger seal. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" he shouted just before he began to inhale.

Kakashi was stunnedthat Sasuke was actually managing to perform a more advanced ninjutsu technique than what they had been taught in the Academy. _'A genin shouldn't have the chakra for that technique!'_

Sasuke exhaled, breathing out a giant ball of fire at Kakashi, consuming him within the flames. After a few seconds the jutsu ended, leaving a large scorch mark before Sasuke, but no sign of his target.

The black haired genin snapped his head left and right, looking for Kakashi. _ 'No. Above?'_

He looked up, seeing ifthe jonin had jumped up in the air. But he hadn't.

"Below you," a voice stated at that moment.

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise for a split second before a hand shot up through the ground and grabbed his left ankle. "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" The hand pulled, dragging Sasuke into ground, burying his entire body up to neck in the dirt and earth.

It was then that Kakashi emerged from his hiding place from below the grass and dirt, towering over the immobile genin. He knelt down, coming as close as he could to Sasuke's current eye level. "Ninja Lesson Number Four: Ninjutsu, Ninja Techniques," the jonin said. "You're certainly _head and shoulders_ above the others."

Sasuke scowled as Kakashi's mocking comment, looking ready to start trying to bite the jonin to death.

"But it's just like they say, the nail that sticks out, is the one that gets hammer down," Kakashi added, standing up while pulling out his book again.

The genin could only watch and glare as Kakashi left him alone, stuck in the ground.

Of course, he wouldn't be alone for much longer.

A few minutes after Kakashi had left him, Sakura stumbled into the clearing. She took one look at Sasuke and let out a bloodcurdling scream before fainting again.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he began working his way out of the ground. He absolutely loathed those clingy fangirls like her.

* * *

Naruto grinned as he sat behind the stone, the bento boxes sitting on his lap. "Instead of wasting time trying to get one of the bells, I can just sit back and have some lunch," he said to himself. "And there's nothing that weirdo can do about it."

Chopsticks in hand, he grabbed the first box, preparing to open it and dig in.

"Hey there," a very familiar voice said.

Naruto broke out in a cold sweat. "I was just joking," he claimed, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"I don't think so," Kakashi replied.

* * *

'_Come on! Where is he?' _Kenshi thought, searching for Kakashi.

Time was running out, he knew that much. Though how much exactly they had left, he didn't know. By his best guess, Kenshi figured that they had fifteen, twenty minutes left until noon and the end of the test.

"What do you wanna bet that Sasuke has managed to get one already," he mumbled to himself.

Sasuke Uchiha was the Rookie of the Year, the top student of this year's class. If any of them were going to get a bell, it would be him**-**which meant that it was very likely that there was only one bell left for the rest of them.

At that moment, Kenshi stopped, carefully listening to his surroundings. He could hear someone talking, but he couldn't make out who it was or what they were saying. But they were close.

He took off, running towards the voice.

However, as the distracted genin brushed by a tree, he tripped over a root, landing flat on his face on the edge of a clearing. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," Kenshi muttered as he picked himself up.

To his surprise, both Sasuke and Sakura were in the clearing, but to his even greater surprise, the dirt-covered Uchiha did not have one of the bells. Neither of them did.

"So…I guess Kakashi-sensei has gotten the better of both of you as well," he commented, absently feeling one of the holes in his sleeve.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement; a sad and defeated look on her face. "We haven't managed to get any-"

_RIIIIIING!_

All three genin spun towards the sound of the buzzer, horrified at the sound. It was noon. Time was up,and they had failed…

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura and Kenshi sat silently around Naruto, who had been tied to one of the tree stumps**. **All of them were sulking from their defeat, a pair of bento boxes sitting before them. The only noise they were making was coming from their empty stomachs.

"My my, listen to all the growling stomachs," Kakashi said to the starving genin, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"By the way, I have an announcement about this exercise. None of you need to worry about being sent back to the Academy."

The four immediately perked up, surprised by the announcement. He wasn't going to send them back? But they had failed the test, hadn't they? Perhaps they weren't supposed to get the bells. Or maybe they had impressed him somehow.

"Really?" Kenshi asked. "We're not going back?"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, shaking his body as much as he could under the ro**p**e. "We did it! We're not going back!"

Sakura and Kenshi both began to cheer as well while a slight smirk spread across Sasuke's lips.

However, it was not to be.

"Anymore schooling would be pointless," Kakashi spoke up, silencing the group instantly. They could only gape at the jonin wide-eyed, stunned and horrified. "The four of you are completely hopeless. None of you will ever become shinobi. You should all just give up."

"What? What the hell does that mean?" Naruto angrily demanded from the silver haired man. "Okay, none of us could get any bells, but why should give up on being ninjas just because of that?"

"Because none of you have what it takes," the jonin replied, his tone as calm and casual as thought he was talking about the weather.

Suddenly Sasuke, bitter about failing to get a bell test and fed up with Kakashi's words, took off, sprinting towards the man with a kunai in his hand.

Unfortunately, Kakashi was still just as fast as he had been earlier.

In an instant Sasuke was on his stomach, his weapon gone and Kakashi on top of him, restraining the Uchiha. "You're all just a bunch of spoiled brats, playing at being ninjas," he continued as though nothing had happened.

Sakura leapt up to her feet. "Get off of Sasuke!" she shouted, worried about the wellbeing of the boy of her affection.

Annoyance appeared in Kakashi's eye. "Are you trying to make fun of real ninjas with your behavior?" he said, the normal casual tone in his voice gone, replaced with clear anger and frustration. "Did it ever occur to you to ask why you were divided into teams?"

None of the genin answered, their expressions revealing the truth of the matter.

"Obviously not**;** you all completely missed the point of this exercise," the jonin scolded.

"Huh? There was a point to this test?" a confused Naruto asked.

"Yes. A point that would determine whether you would pass or fail."

"But you haven't explained what it is," Sakura pointed out.

Kakashi shook his head.

"Tell us what it is already!" the blond shouted.

Kakashi's answer was simple and to the point. "It's teamwork."

All four were surprised by Kakashi's words. It didn't make sense. How could the test have been about teamwork when there weren't enough bells?

"Had the four of you worked together, you probably would have gotten the bells from me," Kakashi added.

"What do you mean by that? There are only two bells!" Sakura argued, voicing the questions that all four of them had. "Even if we work together and get the bells, two of us would still fail! That would just make us fight each other!"

"Of course. This test was purposely set up to sow dissension among your ranks," Kakashi admitted.

Sakura blinked. "What?"

"The purpose of this exercise was to see which of you would set aside your own interests and propose to the others to work together for the good of all," Kakashi explained. "Instead you, Sakura, ignored Naruto and Kenshi**-**who were right in front of you and focused your attention on Sasuke who had run off."

Then he turned to the tied up blond. "Naruto, you were just running around, trying to do the task of a team by yourself."

Next, he focused on the boy next to Naruto. "Kenshi, you had a chance to help Naruto with the traps, and potentially could have worked together against me. Instead, you believed that if Naruto remained ensnared, it would increase your chances of getting a bell because there would be one less person hunting for them, so you let him fall into the second trap."

Finally, Kakashi looked down at the Uchiha underneath him. "And you Sasuke assumed that the others were too weak and would only get in the way. Like Naruto, you tried to do everything yourself." He shook his head. "Arrogance."

"Ninja missions are carried out by teams," Kakashi lectured, trying to drill the truth into their skulls. "Of course, you need superior individual ability as well, but what's most important is teamwork. Every shinobi knows this. When an individual puts themselves before the team, it can lead to failure and death."

Suddenly a kunai knife was placed against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kenshi! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!" Kakashi ordered, his tone dead serious.

All four were pale, utterly shocked at out his order to kill Naruto. "What?" Naruto shrieked, thrashing against the ropes that held him, desperately trying to get free.

But as quickly as it started, Kakashi pulled back the knife. "You see?" he said, getting off Sasuke. "The enemy takes a hostage and you're faced with an impossible choice. Someone ends up dying."

The jonin started walking from the group, heading for a monument stone that stood oppose the three logs. "Every mission, you'll be risking your lives," he said. "Have you ever taken a look at this stone and the names engraved on it? They are all ninja hailed as heroes by the village."

"That's it! I've just made up my mind!" Naruto yelled, his enthusiasm returning at full force. "That's where my name is going to go! I'm gonna be like them-a hero!"

"The ones listed here aren't just normal heroes…" Kakashi solemnly replied, trying to drop Naruto a hint.

Unfortunately, he remained obvious to it. "Oh yeah? What kind are they?"

"…"

"Come on! Tell me!"

"The ones who died in the line of duty."

Naruto froze, the big grin sliding from his face. He had known that there are ninja that die in battle, but he never given it any thought. Now he was coming face to face with the fact that not all shinobi lived long lives and that plenty of them died in battle. It was a sobering fact for him, for all of them.

"This is a memorial," Kakashi said, placing a hand on the stone. "The names of my closest friends are all engraved on here."

After what seemed like the longest and quietest minute of the genins' lives, Kakashi pulled his hand back and turned around, facing the genin. "Alright… I'm giving you all one more chance," he announced, sparking renewed hope within the four. "However, this time it's going to be much, much harder than before. Those who wish to take the challenge can eat those bento boxes**-**but no sharing with Kenshi and Naruto."

"What? Why?" Naruto yelled.

"Punishment for trying to steal the lunches and eat them by yourself," the jonin answered.

"But why am I going without lunch too?" Kenshi and his stomach demanded.

"Because I said so," Kakashi replied dismissively.

"If anyone gives either of them any food, they will fail right then and there. My word is law here. Got it?"

The genin nodded their heads and Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

With him gone, Sasuke and Sakura picked up their bentos while Kenshi sat down against one of the logs, biting his fingernails, trying to feed his empty belly. All Naruto could do was try to get out of the ropes as his stomach loudly demanded food.

And that how was for nearly five minutes. Sasuke and Sakura sat in silence, consuming their lunches while their teammates went without food.

Until Sasuke, his bento box half-eaten, did something unexpected.

The dark haired genin thrust the rest of his lunch at Kenshi, offering it to him. "Here."

Everyone else could only gape and stare at the Uchiha. "But Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei just said-" Sakura started.

"I'm not worry. He's probably miles away by now," Sasuke replied, dismissing her. "We're going to need all of our strength if we're work together to get those bells. Without food, they'll both be useless when we try again."

Kenshi accepted the lunch, his belly screaming in joy and hunger.

He stared at the bento for a moment, before turning to his teammate. "…Thank you Sasuke," he said, a second before digging into the food.

Naruto gave the brown haired boy looks of utter envy as his stomach growled even louder. Somehow it knew that Kenshi had just been given food, but not it.

Sakura looked at Naruto, then at her own lunch. "Here Naruto," she said, doing the same for him.

The blond could only stare at Sakura, his eyes watering. "Sakura… Thanks."

No sooner had he said those words, than Kakashi reappeared, looking ready to explode. The four genin could only gape in horror as the man rushed towards them. "YOU…"

"…pass," Kakashi finished, grinning and giving them the thumbs up.

Silence descended on the field. None of them could utter word, too stunned by what had just happened.

"We passed?" a bewildered Kenshi uttered, finally breaking the silence.

"But we broke your rule," Sakura added, just as confused. "So why?"

"You four have taken a giant step forward. Up until, you've been obeying my every order unquestioningly, like mindless little drone**s**," Kakashi explained. "Ninja need to see the hidden meaning behind the hidden meaning."

Kakashi lowered his arm and continued, "They say that those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash."

Sasuke smirked as Kenshi wiped a bit of rice from the corner of his grinning mouth. Naruto, still tied up, was in awe, his mouth open wide while Sakura pumped her arm triumphantly.

"This ends the exercise. You all pass," Kakashi said. "Starting tomorrow, Team Seven will officially commence its duties."

"Yeah! I did it! I did it!" Naruto cheered in jubilation, his eyes beginning to tear up. "I'm a ninja!"

Moments later, Team Seven was packed up and walking from the field.

…Leaving Naruto, still tied to the log."Hey! Don't leave me here!" he yelled at his departing teammates. "UnTIE me!"

* * *

And done. Next up, the Chunin Exams and the beginning of the really good stuff I have planned.


	3. The Chūnin Exam Begins

Yo everybody! I'm back with another chapter. The start of the Chūnin Exam and all the interesting things I have planned.

**Chapter Three: The Chūnin Exam Begins**

"I can't believe this! He's late again!" Naruto growled, annoyed at Kakashi and his chronic tardiness.

It had been nearly two months since Team Seven had passed Kakashi's bell test and begun their careers as genin. Of course, all of their missions for the first two weeks had been nothing but mundane D-ranked missions. But that changed after Naruto decided to complain about the quality of their missions to the Hokage, who in return gave them a simple C-ranked mission.

Or so it had seemed.

Their mission had been to escort and protect a bridge builder to the Land of Wave. However, to save money on hiring a team of ninja Tazuna, the bridge builder, claimed he only need protection from bandits and thugs in the area.

In reality he was the target of a much more dangerous group. A shipping magnate and crime boss named Gato who had the entire Land of Waves more or less under his control through his monopoly on their shipping industry. He clearly saw the threat that the incomplete bridge represented to his control of the small nation and hired an extremely dangerous missing-nin from Kirigakure, Zabuza Momochi of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist Village. He, along with his comrades, the Demon Brothers and a teen named Haku, who possessed a kekkei genkai.

Their encounters with the Kiri missing-nin had been brutal battles, with Kakashi becoming injured in their first battle with Zabuza and Sasuke nearly dying in their final encounter.

But in the end, Haku had been killed and Gato betrayed Zabuza, who killed the crime boss before dying from his wounds. With the bridge complete and Gato dead, the Land of Waves economy had begun to rebound, slowly returning to its once prosperous state.

"Yeah! Why is Kakashi-sensei always late?" Sakura added as Naruto paced back and forth across the bridge that was Team Seven's meeting place. "If I had known he was going to be this late, I would have taken my time this morning and properly done my hair!"

Naruto stopped his pacing. "Same here!" he yelled, thrusting his arm in the air. "I would have slept in another hour and brushed my teeth this morning!"

Near from the pair, Sasuke stood, leaning against the bridge railing while Kenshi sat on the railing next to him. "Oh… Sakura is going to hit Naruto in ten seconds," the brown haired genin whispered to his stoic teammate.

"Gross! How often do you brush your teeth?" the pink haired kunoichi exclaimed.

Naruto paused, scratching his chin in contemplation. "About three times a week," he answered after a moment.

Kenshi began counting down from five on his fingers.

_Five…_

Sakura stared at Naruto in disgust and disbelief.

_Four…_

"Naruto…You…are so disgusting!"

_Three…_

"And you've been trying to ask me out on a date with _that_ kind of hygiene?"

_Two…_

"But Sakura…I-"

_One…_

_WHAM!_

Kenshi started to laugh as Naruto clutched his head, moaning out a constant stream of "Ow…" Sasuke, on the other hand, merely rolled his eyes at their trivial antics.

At that moment, Kakashi appeared at the end of the bridge in poof of smoke. "Morning guys!" the tardy jonin greeted. "Sorry for being late, I got lost on the road of life."

"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison.

Kenshi snickered. _'Well… It's certainly one of the more interesting excuses he's come up with.'_

Sasuke said nothing, merely looking at the jonin in annoyance.

Kakashi coughed. "Anyway, I have some big news for you all. I've decided to recommend all of you for the Chūnin Selection Exams."

The four genin stared at their jonin-sensei in disbelief, trying to figure out if he was speaking the truth or if this was some kind of test.

Seeing their hesitation and confusion, Kakashi pulled out four application forms. "Yes, it's the real deal," he said. "Now this Exam is entirely voluntary, so the choice to participate is yours and yours alone. But if you are going to compete, than fill out these forms and take them to the Academy tomorrow afternoon by four o'clock, room 301."

One by one, Kakashi handed the forms to his students. Naruto jumped up and down cheering as he held the sheet of paper while the others were considerably quieter compared to their blond haired teammate. Sasuke was stone-faced as he received the application. Both Sakura and Kenshi shared similar looks of surprise and awe.

"Also, I should warn you, because there are four of you instead of three, you should expect to be handicapped in the first stages of the Exam to even things out. If of course all of you choose to compete," Kakashi added. "So be prepared to work a little harder than everyone else. But I think you can handle it. That's all and good luck."

With that, the jonin disappeared in another poof of smoke, leaving the genin alone on the bridge.

"Wahoo!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, jumping up in joy once more. "Chuunin Exams here we come!"

"Once again he's ready to jump head first into the thick of things," Sakura muttered, annoyed at Naruto's constant hyperactive demeanor.

However, her annoyance was just a mask for her fears and concerns. Truthfully, Sakura wasn't too sure if they were ready for the Chūnin Exams.

"Yeah… Those genin from the Sand Village were something else," Kenshi added, voicing his own concerns. "They're just one team out of who knows how many genin teams competing in this thing. This Exam is going to be difficult to say the least."

Yesterday the four of them had an _interesting_ encounter with a group of genin from Suna. The girl and the guy with the painted face were intimidating, but compared to their teammate Gaara they were puppy dogs. There was something in the redhead's eyes that unsettled them all.

"Then don't sign up," Sasuke coldly replied as he started to leave the bridge. "As Kakashi said, it's voluntary."

* * *

"Thank you Iruka-sensei!" Naruto cheered a second before he began digging into the bowl of Ichiraku ramen before him.

His former teacher let out a snicker before he began eating his bowl, though with only a fraction of the gusto Naruto possessed. It had been weeks since they had last had lunch together and Iruka wanted to visit with Naruto and hear how he had been progressing.

But that wasn't his only reason for buying the genin lunch. "So Naruto, I hear you're entering the Chūnin Exams today," he said after consuming half of his bowl while Naruto started his second.

"Yep!" the blond replied in between mouthfuls of ramen. "And I'm going to win it and become a chūnin. Just you watch, Iruka-sensei."

The chūnin chuckled, hiding how he really felt. He was worried about Naruto's safety. The tests of the Chūnin Exams were dangerous and potentially deadly tasks. Iruka knew that Naruto would one day compete in the Exams, but he never thought it would be so soon. Even the idea of him signing up for the next Exam in six months seemed too early. "Well Naruto… you know that the Chūnin Exams are a lot tougher than what you're used to. I had to go through four of them before I finally was able to prove myself."

"I won't have to!" Naruto boasted, determination in his voice and eyes. "I'm going to beat this Exam in the first try!"

Iruka didn't have the heart to tell Naruto that it wasn't just one's strength and power they looked for when decided who would become a chūnin; nor that winning the tournament at the end of the Exam guaranteed a promotion to chūnin.

"But this will be a lot harder than what you've done before. It will be only you and your teammates, and Kakashi won't be around to help you when things get dangerous," Iruka warned. "Your competitors will include genin with far more experience, techniques and skills than what you have."

The grin slid from Naruto's face. "I know," he said, his tone serious. "Sure I'm a nervous about the Exam and the other guys taking it." The image of Gaara and the other Sand genin entered his mind for a second. They were strong, especially the redhead; he could tell that much. And they were only one team of genin among dozens upon dozens of teams. However what truly scared Naruto wasn't the idea of them being the strongest team, but rather the idea of them _not_ being the strongest team participating in the Chūnin Exams.

Though on the other hand, competing against some of the strongest genin of Konoha and from other Hidden Villages would be prefect chance to prove himself and get some real recognition from everyone.

The grin returned to his face. "But if I'm going to become Hokage, I can't back down from any challenge, no matter how difficult it is!" Naruto proclaimed, thrusting his fist into the air.

Iruka stared at his former pupil, studying the boy. Mentally, Naruto was about as ready as he was ever going to be. However, Iruka was still worried about how he would fair with his lack of techniques and experience. Sure he had the Shadow Clone Technique, but other than that, he really had nothing. Iruka didn't doubt that Naruto stood a good chance against the other rookies from this year. Against even last year's rookies however…

He didn't want to even think about it.

But if Naruto was dead set on entering the Chūnin Exams there was little he could do.

* * *

Gripping the wooden sword with both hands, Kenshi raised it up in front of his face, taking a deep breath. Before him stood half a dozen training dummies, ones designed to swing their own wooden weapons after being struck.

Exhaling, he struck, hitting the dummies one by one while dodging and avoiding the swinging weapons.

But as he sidestepped the sixth dummy's weapon, a staff slapped in his moving left ankle. It threw off his balance, causing him to fall on his face.

"Not bad, but a ninja must always expect attacks from anywhere and everywhere while in battle," Kenshi's mother, Shuzaya Mitsurugi, said as she pulled back her walking stick.

Kenshi spat out some grass as he sat up. "Must you always do that while I train?"

His mother chuckled. "Until the day you anticipate all of my attacks," she replied. "Only then will I stop."

The young genin stared at his mother. Back in her day, Shuzaya Mitsurugi had been a formidable jonin of the Leaf Village. But now she was retired and working as a blacksmith, supplying weapons and equipment to the shinobi of Konoha.

She wore a plain sleeveless dark blue kimono and matching hakama with a leather blacksmith apron while a leather satchel hung at her side. Her long blond hair was pulled back, tied into a loose ponytail. Underneath the edge of her gray left eye was a scar, running down her left cheek. Resting in her right hand was a wooden walking stick.

The reason for the cane and one of the reasons for her retirement was evident as soon as one looked down at her right foot, or rather where her right foot had been. All that remained of her right foot and most of her right shin was a simple wooden prosthetic limb.

Shuzaya's expression turned serious as she studied her son. "You're signing up for the Chūnin Exams," she said.

Kenshi nodded his head. "Yes."

"You know that people have died during the Exams in the past," his mother commented. "Each and every Chūnin Exam is filled with countless dangers, designed to weed out the weak and ill-prepared, and that's before the finals where you will fight older, more experienced genin than a mere rookie like you. That's a reason why first year genin rarely ever enter the Exams, they are seldom prepared for it. So are you absolutely sure that you're ready for this?"

Kenshi would be lying if he said that he didn't have a single doubt about entering the Chūnin Exams. If the team from Suna they encountered the other day was any indication, there were going to be plenty of tough teams out there. And of course, his mother's words did little to calm his fears and doubts. Anyone of them could get killed over the course of the Chūnin Exams. But he wasn't about to let his teammates down by backing out.

Kenshi stood up. "You've always told me that to be a ninja, you need to be prepared to face risks, both known and unknown," he said. "I'm going to enter the Exam with my teammates."

Shuzaya nodded, reaching into her satchel. "Well then, you're going to need this. Catch!"

Kenshi reacted purely out of instinct, catching the object she had thrown. His eyes widened as he realized just what had been tossed at him. "You threw a sword at me?" he exclaimed.

"Oh quit being a baby. You're a genin after all," Shuzaya replied, dismissively waving her hand. "Besides, it was sheathed."

The genin grumbled, annoyed as his mother's antics. He drew the katana from its sheath, studying it carefully.

From as far back as he could remember Kenshi had helped his mother with her blacksmith shop. At first, it was just cleaning up around the shop, later; he actually began learning the craft itself. As a result, the one thing he knew more than his teammates was weapons, how to use them, how to look for quality, even how to make them.

But this sword… this sword was something special, far beyond the normal swords his mother made. "It's lighter…but stronger than steel," Kenshi commented, running his finger over the blade. "The craftsmanship is… amazing."

Shuzaya watched as he began performing a series of two-handed swings, the blade slicing through the air. "Not long after you were born, your father forged that blade," she said. "It was the last weapon he ever forged."

Kenshi stopped abruptly, turning to his mother, a stunned look on his face. "Dad made this?" he uttered unconsciously gripping the sword tighter.

His father died years ago, back when Kenshi was just a toddler, leaving him with not even a single memory of the man.

"He wanted to give it to you when you first took the Chūnin Exams," his mother continued. "I know that if he was here, he'd be proud of you for having made it this far, just as I am."

A smile spread across the young teen's face as he sheathed the sword, renewed confidence and a swell of pride filling him. "Thank you," Kenshi said.

"Now, we have one final thing before you leave for the Exam," Shuzaya added, pulling out a familiar small leather bag from her satchel. "Roll up your sleeves."

* * *

Sakura nervously walked towards Team Seven's meeting spot where her teammates would be waiting for her, if they were going to take part in the Exam. Well, actually she already knew that both Sasuke and Naruto would. Kenshi was the only one that seemed hesitant about signing up.

'_Besides me,'_ she thought.

When Team Seven was first formed, Sakura had convinced herself that Naruto was the weakest among them. But after the events in the Land of Wave, she had begun to doubt her initial belief. Together with Sasuke, they had beaten back Zabuza that first time, rescuing Kakashi while she and Kenshi had just sat on the sidelines. Then later, during their battle with the Mist missing-nin and his partner on the bridge, she again stood helpless on the sidelines as Naruto and Sasuke fought for their lives.

Sure, Kenshi did little during their mission in the Land of Waves as well, but he had one thing that she didn't. He had been born into a family of ninja; she hadn't been so lucky. Sakura was merely a rookie kunoichi born into a normal civilian family. There was absolutely nothing special about her in slightest.

"C'mon! I just want to hold it for a minute," she heard Naruto call out, breaking her from her thoughts.

Sakura looked up at the bridge. The rest of her team was there. Sasuke was leaning on the bridge railing as usual while Naruto and Kenshi were talking. "No. Knowing you, you'd start screwing around and poke someone's eye out or worst, damage it," Kenshi said, pushing the eager blond back a step with his finger.

Sakura could see what Naruto was so interested in quite clearly. Held by a leather belt running from his right shoulder to his left side, was a sheathed katana. The sword's handle was a dark blue color while its matching hexagonal guard was trimmed in silver.

"What? No I wouldn't!" Naruto argued.

"Either way, I'm not taking the chance," the brown haired genin replied.

"Ah… Come on," Naruto whined. "At least show me some cool moves."

"No. It's not toy," Kenshi said, his expression changing to one of annoyance. "I'm not just going to pull it out for your amusement."

"Fine," Naruto grumbled. "Probably doesn't even know how to use it anyway," he mumbled.

Kenshi's face instantly changed from annoyed to outright angry. "What did you say? Cause it sounded like you think I'm useless with this sword."

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Kenshi drew his sword and swung it at him. The blond snapped his eyes shut on instinct, but he felt nothing.

Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes. Kenshi stood in front of him, holding up a cut lock of his golden hair in one hand, his sword in the other. "Would you like to change your mind?" he asked, smirking.

"Okay, you're good with a sword," Naruto admitted.

Kenshi chuckled as he sheathed the sword. "You should see my mom. She could shave a person's head bald with just five swings and without leaving a mark." He paused, noticing Sakura as she approached them. "Hey Sakura," he said, nodding.

Naruto spun around, grinning. "Hi Sakura," he greeted.

"Hi," she replied, trying to sound positive. "So you've all decided to take the Chūnin Exams?"

Sasuke silently nodded his head.

"Yeah," Kenshi replied.

"Of course!" Naruto cheered.

"What about you Sakura?" Kenshi asked. "Are you going to sign up too?"

"Yes," she answered, again trying to hide how she felt.

"Well then, we better get going," Kenshi said, turning to the other end of the bridge.

With that the boys of Team Seven started walking, heading the direction of the Academy. Sakura however hesitated, watching her teammates walking off, leaving her behind.

She hung her head, looking dejectedly at her feet_. 'Who am I kidding? Sasuke, Kenshi, Naurto… I can't keep up with any of them. And now we're in the C__hūnin__ Exams… How can I be anything but a burden to them?'_

"Hey Sakura!" Naruto called out. "You coming?"

"Yeah!" Sakura yelled back, pushing back her doubts as she started running after her teammates.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the shinobi, they were being watched another group of genin from inside Konoha's Ninja Academy. They were all clad in black hooded cloaks with a red marks on the fronts of the hoods. The symbols were the outline of a taloned hand reaching out as though to grab something. The three stood together in a circle, one holding up a small crystal orb in their hands.

"So that is the Uchiha," the first mused as watched Team Seven through the orb. "The one that the snake is interested in."

"We need his blood," the second replied, his tone quiet and rasping, holding the glowing orb. "The Lord Patriarch commands it. And it is by his favor that we are even allowed to partake in what is to come."

"We know that!" the third snapped. "His orders are that of a weakling! He allies us with those feeble nin, tells us to obey _his_ orders, and to play these pathetic games of the other Villages. And for what? So he can improve his standing within the Council."

"Calm yourself brother," the first said, raising his hand. "Our Lord is wise and cunning. While he may have many defects, our Lord is no fool unlike these… _shinobi_. Look at them. They know nothing of true strategy, of true cunning and power. If they see wall, they will smash it, or climb over it. If they see an army, they attack it. But if we see a wall, we will laugh and remove it from within. If we see an army, we will simply not be there for them to attack us."

His comrade snarled in response.

The leader of the team broke away from the circle, walking towards a nearby window. "Look at this feeble _Village_," he proclaimed, waving his hand before the numerous houses and buildings that stood before them. "They call it a 'hidden' village and yet here it stands. Amid a forest, under the gaze of their stone lords, for all the world to see. How can anyone consider this a Hidden Village? Or any of the other Villages for that matter? And look, they walk alongside non-shinobi as though they were equals." He paused, laughing in contempt for a moment. "It's the same as saying a wolf is equal to a sheep, that the predator is equal to the prey."

He shook his head. "Such a foolish notion," he commented, turning to his teammates. "But even more foolish, they freely welcome shinobi from other Villages within their walls, letting them wander as though it was their own village. They're completely obvious to the threat that very notion poses to them. Even if we weren't planning what we are planning."

"All the more reason why we should destroy this weak Village and enslave its people," the ever angry member of their team shot back.

"Patience brother," the leader replied. "The Leaf will burn in due time. Enjoy these games of theirs. Consider it practice for the sport that is to come."

* * *

It didn't take very long before Team Seven found themselves standing amid a large group of genin**.** Most were from Konoha but there were a few teams from other Villages.

"Ha! You think that a talentless hack like you actually stands a chance in the Chūnin Exams?" a voice called out from ahead of them. "You should just quit now while you're ahead."

"Yeah," another voice added. "You're just gonna end up losin' anyway."

The four genin, curious as to what was happening, made their way through the group and towards the voices.

When they reached the front of the group of genin, they found a pair of slightly older Leaf genin standing over a third beaten up shinobi in front of a door numbered 301.

The first of the two had dark hair and eyes with some bandages on his cheeks and chin while a pair of oversized kunai knives were strapped to his second genin wore a blue Leaf bandana that covered his entire head and oddly, the neck of the black undershirt he wore was stretched over his chin. Both wore similar outfits of gray and navy blue.

But the boy on the ground was by far the strangest looking one of the three. He wore a green skintight bodysuit with bandages wrapped around his forearms and hands and bright orange legwarmers. His forehead protector was being used as belt. The genin's black hair was styled in a bowl-cut and his eyebrows were oversized, looking more like a pair of furry caterpillars.

A girl in front of the group of gathered genin moved to Bowl-Cut's side. The girl's brown hair was styled into a pair of small buns that rest on her head. She wore a sleeveless pink shirt and dark green pants. "Come on. Please just let us through," she pleaded.

"Hmph. Listen, we're trying to help you here," Bandage-Face replied. "The Chūnin Exam isn't easy. We've already failed it three times in a row. And we've seen it all. Genin that have been broken by the Exam and quit being ninjas, others become crippled and are forced to retire, and of course those that die in the Exam."

"And even if you do become a chūnin, it's not like things will be any easier," Bandana added. "Chūnin are often given the role of squad leader. The success of the mission and the lives of the team are all on their shoulders. Are you ready for that?"

At that moment Sasuke, who had grown bored of the exchange, stepped forward. "How about you let us pass and remove the genjutsu you've put up," he said. "We're going to the third floor."

Most of the genin in the hallway shot the Uchiha questioning glances. "What? What's this guy talking about?" one muttered.

"Who knows," his teammate replied.

Bandage-Face and Bandana however smirked at Sasuke. "Heh… So you noticed," the first of the pair commented.

"It was easy to spot, right Sakura?" Sasuke retorted, glancing at his female teammate.

"Huh?"

"You have the most analytical mind as best understanding of genjutsu of our team," he explained. "You were probably the first out of us to figure it out."

Sakura paused, realizing what her crush was doing. He was showing her his confidence in the few abilities she had, boosting her own confidence in herself. _'Sasuke…thank you…'_

Sakura cleared her throat. "Of course," she answered. "It's quite easy to figure out. After all, we're on the _second_ floor."

All but a few of the other genin present, stared at her in surprise as they themselves realized the utterly simple fact that had eluded all of them.

A grin spread across Naruto's face. Like those few others, he had also realized the truth of things. "Yep," he said, nodding his head in agreement.

Kenshi snickered, grinning like the rest of his comrades. "A bit of advice fellas, it's actually much easier to go to the third floor and swap out the room number plates," he added. "And it's less obvious than making the second floor the third."

The pair dispelled their illusion, revealing the room's true number, 201. "Hmm… Not bad," Bandage-Face commented, studying Sasuke.

Suddenly, before most of the ninja present could react, he swung his leg upwards, aiming for Sasuke's head. "Now try this!" he shouted.

Unfortunately for him Sasuke was able to react in time, swinging his own leg, intending to counter the kick with his own.

However their legs did not meet…

In an incredible feat of agility, the Bowl-Cut genin appeared between them, catching both of their legs with his hands; completely stopping their attacks to the amazement of everyone save his teammates.

'_Catching our kicks with his hands…'_ Sasuke contemplated, carefully studying the green-clad boy. _'He's a completely different person from the boy that was getting beaten up moments ago. This one is definitely someone to watch out for.'_

Similar thoughts were running through the minds of Sasuke's teammates, though unlike him, they were unable to keep their expressions of surprise and awe off their faces.

Without saying anything, the dark haired boy dropped their legs. Bandage-Face back away, moving back to his comrade's side as another boy approached the other two. "Hey, what happened to the plan?" he demanded, his lavender eyes marking him a member of the Hyūga Clan. "You were the one who said we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

"Well…" the boy started before glancing off at Sakura, a blush appearing on his cheeks.

Without saying anything else, he headed to where she stood. "Hi," he greeted a smile on his face. "My name is Rock Lee, and you are Sakura, right?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, unsure of what he wanted.

"Sakura, will you please go out on a date with me! I vow that I will protect you with my life!" Lee proclaimed, giving her a thumbs up and a wide smile, causing one of his teeth to shine brightly for an instant.

"Definitely…not…" she uttered, creeped out by the boy's proclamation and by his appearance.

Before Lee could respond, Kenshi stepped up to the pair. "How did you do that?" he asked.

Lee turned his head to him. "Hmm?"

Kenshi shook his head. "Not the catching of their kicks, but that tooth shine thing. How did you do it?"

At that moment, aside from Lee, every other genin in the hall could gape in disbelief. "WHAT? You want to know that?" Naruto exclaimed, summing everyone else's thoughts. "What about how he managed to block Sasuke's and Bandage-Face's kicks?"

Kenshi waved a hand at Naruto dismissively. "Oh anyone can do that if they're fast enough and strong enough. But that tooth shine thing…" He shook his head. "That's gonna dive me nuts until I figure out how he did it."

"Wait! You want to learn how to do some stupid tooth thing?"

"Of course not," Kenshi replied. "I just want to know how it's done. Cause it's not normal for a person to smile and have a tooth shine like that."

The Hyuga turned his attention from the brown haired genin to Sasuke. "Hey you," he said, drawing the attention of everyone. "What's your name?"

Naruto scowled as another person expressed interest in the arrogant Uchiha over him, the future Hokage. _'Damn it! Why is it always Sasuke?'_

"When you want to learn someone's name, you should always give your name first," Sasuke retorted.

"You're a rookie, right? How old are you?" the Hyūga replied.

"I don't have to answer you."

The two glared at each for a moment. Without another word, they turned, heading for their teammates.

Together, Team Seven started walking away from the group of genin, heading for the nearest set of stairs. The other genin teams began to do the same, heading for one of the stairwells. Unnoticed by the leaving ninjas, the two genin that had set up the genjutsu and started the whole mess entered room 201. "So those were Kakashi's and Guy's pupils," the first 'genin' said as they both formed hand seals. "I guess they pass the unofficial test."

Twin plumes of smoke consumed the pair for a second before dissipating, revealing their true adult forms.

"This year's Exam looks like it's going to be interesting," the second chūnin added.

* * *

The members of Team Seven stood in a large room on the third floor, staring out through the windows at Konoha. They still had some time to kill before they were suppose to hand in their application forms and start the Exam, so they had decided to wait in this empty room rather than in 301, where undoubtedly dozens of other genin teams were preparing for the Exam as well.

However, they weren't about to be alone for much longer.

"You with the attitude and dark hair!" a familiar voice called out from behind them.

Naruto, Sasuke, Kenshi and Sakura turned together to the voice.

It was Rock Lee, standing on the balcony that overlooked the room.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked**.**

Sakura shivered, not wanting to deal with Lee again after his attempt to ask her out while Naruto shook in barely contained anger and annoyance as another person expressed their interest in Sasuke over him. Kenshi sighed, shaking his head. The Exam had not even started and people were already after them.

"I wish to fight you," a determined Lee answered.

Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking over his challenge and what Lee had done minutes earlier. "A fight right now?"

Lee nodded. "Yes."

With that, the boy leaped down from the balcony, landing on the floor below. "My name is Rock Lee," he said, politely introducing himself to Sasuke. "When you want to learn someone's name you should always give your name first, right Sasuke Uchiha?"

"So you know who I am," Sasuke replied.

"Yes. I want to my ability against that of the famed Uchiha Clan," Lee eagerly explained. "Plus…"

Lee turned to Sakura, the blush returning his face.

She screamed, wanting nothing more than to get away from the love-struck boy. "Those huge eyebrows are so gross!"

But her reaction and words were lost on Lee. "Sakura, you are an angel sent down to Earth," he said before he began blowing kisses at the object of his affection.

With surprising speed and flexibility Sakura began dodging his kisses, shrieking as she moved. Mercifully, the assault of kisses ended swiftly, leaving the girl sweating and gasping for breath but thankfully kiss-free.

"Hey! Keep those creepy kisses to yourself!" Sakura angrily shouted at Lee once she had regained her composure.

"You do not have to be so mean Sakura…" Lee said in a sad and hurt tone.

"You know about the Uchiha Clan, yet you're challenging me," Sasuke said, turning everyone's attention back to him. "You must be even crazier than you look. But I accept your challenge. I'll show you the power of the Uchiha Clan."

Lee slipped into a fighting stance, holding his left hand behind his back while bringing his right hand up in front of him, almost in a taunting gesture. His eyes burned with fires of determination. "Bring it," he said, ready for the fight.

* * *

Done! And once again, I must give my thanks to my absolutely wonderful beta, Amiriah. Unfortunately, she's going to be away for the month of July, so I'm looking for a temporary beta reader for July, if anyone is interested.

While I don't expect to get many reviews at the moment, at least not until the Forest of Death and the Prelims, I do like to hear from you, my fans. So if you want to hit that little button, it would really make my day.


	4. The First Test

Yo everybody! I'm back! And my wild muse has finally settled down! So fans of this story, rejoice!

Once again, I'd like to thank my beta Ahamiri who despite laptop problems managed to do an excellent job in betaing my work .

**Chapter Four: The First Test**

The battle between Sasuke and Rock Lee had been fast and completely one-sided. Even with the Sharingan, Sasuke hadn't been able to overcome the speed, agility and power of Lee. But just as the green clad boy was about to finish the Uchiha off when a man intervened, breaking up the fight at once.

As it turned out, he was Lee's sensei and near-identical duplicate as well as the self-proclaimed archrival of Kakashi, Might Guy. Though as strange as it was to see a grown man in orange legwarmers and green jumpsuit with his hair in bowl cut and eyebrows that were even bigger than Lee's, it was nothing compared to his proclamations of the power of youth and his over the top embrace of his student after punching for trying to use a forbidden technique in the fight. Fortunately, the pair didn't stick around for long after that, allowing the genin to continue onto the third floor where a surprise awaited them.

"Glad to see you came after all Sakura," Kakashi said, standing in front of the doors to Room 301. "This way you all qualify to apply for the Chūnin Exams

"Wait, but you said that it was up to each of us to decide whether or not to apply," a confused Sakura replied.

"I said what I needed to make sure that your teammates didn't pressure you into coming. Even if you had no interest in coming, one word from Sasuke and you would have come. And while you would have through the motions and everything, you're heart wouldn't have be in it," the jonin explained.

"But what would you have done if I didn't show up?" the lone girl of Team Seven asked as she shot glances at her teammates. "Would you have let them continue on?"

Kakashi shook his head in response. "No, I wouldn't have let them compete. All four of you are a team. And your success in the first stages of the Exam will be determined not as individually but as a team. It would have been wrong to have three of you participate in the Exam when the fourth wasn't ready for it."

The fabric of the jonin's mask stretched a bit, hinting at a smile on his face. "But you're all here because you choose to be and I'm proud of you all. Now get in there."

With that, Kakashi stepped aside to allow his genin team to pass by. Together the four genin pushed open the doors and stepped into the room, ready for whatever the Chūnin Exam could throw at them.

* * *

Unbeknownst to anyone within the Leaf Village, three men had gathered in the shadows, united by a single goal. "Why have you called us here now?" the first demanded in equal measure of annoyance and concern.

"Why indeed?" the second calmly added. "Are you afraid that we will not carry through on our ends? Or is it something else?"

The third man chuckled. "Not at all," he replied. "I'm merely making sure that you are both fully aware of your responsibilities. After all, it would be unfortunate if something were to happen to spoil our plans, especially after all that you have invested into this joint operation."

"We will be ready!" the first snapped. "_He_ will be ready! (The name seems a little weird to me for suspense reasons stated above, but more of an optional change.) Everything will go as planned on our end."

The second individual glanced at the first then turned back to his other conspirator. "Do not presume to intimidate me, _snake_. Yes, I have invested my fair share of resources and time into this venture, and if we are successful my status among my peers will rise. But if we fail, my losses will be nothing compared to what you will lose. I promise you both that."

"Heh heh heh… Never show weakness to anyone, friend and foe alike. For who knows who could become an enemy," the third man recited. "That is what I love about the people from your Village; they unwaveringly embrace what they truly are. But I did not come here to intimidate you. With the final weeks counting down, I merely wish for us to remain in contact to make sure that nothing unforeseen happens. After all, none of us wish to see our plans fail at this late stage."

* * *

Team Seven could only stare at the sight before them, at the dozens and dozens of genin waiting to take the Exams. "Wow… That's a lot of people," Kenshi commented as the doors closed behind them. "Are they all taking the Exam?"

"It looks like it," Sakura answered, nervously eyeing up their competition.

But before anyone could respond, a purple and yellow blur jumped Sasuke. "Sasuke! Where have you been cutie?" Ino Yamanaka shouted as she hugged the Uchiha. "It's so good to see you again after all this time!"

Sasuke, on the other hand did not feel the same way, and it showed. Nor was he the only one. "Ino-Pig!" Sakura yelled at the blond. "Get your hooves off Sasuke!"

"Oh… Hello to you too Sakura," Ino dismissively replied. "I see you're still waiting for the big forehead to come in fashion."

"What did you say?" the pink haired genin screamed as her rival continued to taunt her.

"Ugh. Can you keep it down," a voice called out.

The five shinobi glanced over at the voice. It was Shikamaru Nara, also of Team Ten. And at his side, eating a bag of potato chips was the third genin of the team, Choji Akimichi. As they arrived, Sasuke managed to free himself from the iron grip of Ino as the two girls continued to taunt and make faces at each other.

The Nara shook his head at the antics of the girls and let out a sigh. "I knew this was going to be a drag."

"Oh I don't know about that," Kenshi replied. "Crazy yes, a little scary sure, but a drag? Nah."

"Scary? Ha! You're not gonna last long here," a loud, cocky voice proclaimed. "Guys that are afraid like you will get booted out first."

It was Kiba Inuzuka along with his teammates Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga, the other three genin of their graduating class. "At least I don't need a little puppy to fight my battles for me," Kenshi shot back.

Kiba moved in front of Kenshi, standing only a few inches from him. "You want a piece of me punk!" he snarled, his dog Akumaru adding an angry bark from atop his head. "And don't think that your fancy little can opener scares me!"

Kenshi's hand shot up for his sword the second those words left the other boy's mouth. As he started to draw his weapon Kiba instantly flinched, jumping back a step from him. "Who's afraid now?" Kenshi shot back, chuckling as he released his sword.

Needless to say, both genin and dog looked ready to tear him apart for that.

"Calm down Kiba," Shino quietly said, placing a hand on his hot-headed comrade's shoulder to pull him back. "The Exam has not even started yet."

But the Inuzuka growled at the Mitsurugi whose hand was still hovering over his sword. The two genin had always disliked each other, all the way back to their days as students. There really was no reason why; they just rubbed each other the wrong way.

"Why don't you do us all a favor and keep it down," a silver haired Leaf genin said as he approached the group of rookies. "People here are already on edge as is without you loud kids."

The rookie genin teams all turned to the new arrival. He was a rather unremarkable, bespectacled teen. The teen was clearly a few years older than them. His Leaf forehead protector held up some of his hair while a loose ponytail took care of the rest. The genin's attire consisted of a dark purple sleeveless shirt over a white T-shirt with matching purple pants and some white cloth wrapped around his midsection like a belt.

With a sigh, the older nin shook his head dismissively at them. "Look at you all. You're nothing but a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears rookies, fresh from the Academy," he commented.

"Hey! Who the heck do you think you are?" an annoyed Ino snapped.

"My name is Kabuto. And you kids need to open up your eyes here. This isn't some school test you're taking," the genin replied. "Everyone's on edge here, waiting to take the exam. All it can take is one loudmouth and one short fuse for a fight to break out. If you're smart, you'll keep quiet and listen to what I have to say."

With that, the rookies took a moment to look around at their competition. All around them older nin both local and foreign were eyeing them up, their expressions less than pleasing to the rookies and more than a few looked ready for a fight. "But of course, like all rookies you think you know everything already. I remember what that was like," the teen added.

"Then this is your second exam, right?" Sakura asked.

Kabuto shook his head. "Nope, it's my seventh."

She blinked. "Seventh?"

"Yep," the older nin said with a nod. "Two exams a year for the past four years now."

This piped the interest of many of the rookie genin. "Then you must know what to expect for the Exam," Kenshi said, voicing what they were all thinking.

"Yes, I've acquired some valuable information over the years and since I'm feeling sorry for you lot, I'm going to share some of it with you," Kabuto replied, reaching into his hip pouch.

He pulled out a deck of cards, drawing the first card and setting it on the ground. "These are shinobi skill cards. For those of you who have no idea what they are, these cards contain information on the skills we use, transformed into symbols and burned into the cards with chakra," Kabuto explained, his finger on the blank card. "However, the cards will remain blank until the one who created them uses their chakra to access the data. Like so."

Kabuto pumped a small amount of his chakra into card and to the amazement on for the rookies, lines of ink appeared, spreading across the card and weaving together into a map of the Shinobi Nations. Once the map had fully formed, writing appeared on six of the countries, including their own. "As the card says, there are a grand total of one hundred fifth-seven genin taking this exam; eighty-eight from our own village, thirty from the Sand Village, twenty-one from Rain, six from both Grass and Waterfall, and three from Sound."

"Wait. That doesn't add up," Sakura pointed out as she studied the card's numbers. "You're missing three."

"Well… I'll get to those three in a moment," the teen answered. "First, I want to show you the individual dossier cards." He held up the remaining cards of his deck. "I have here cards encoded with the information of the various genin participating in the Chūnin Exam. So does anyone want to look up their competition?"

Sasuke was the first to speak up. "What do you have on Rock Lee and Gaara of the Sand?"

"Oh? You know their names? I was hoping for a challenge," a disappointed Kabuto said as he searched through his deck.

Kabuto pulled out two cards, throwing them on the ground. "First up, Rock Lee," he continued. "He has had twenty D-ranked missions and eleven C-ranked with his teammates Neji Hyuga and Tenten. Lee was in last year's graduating class, however he was that class's dead last. At that time, his stats were absolutely pathetic but in the year since his taijutsu skills have risen exponentially though everything else is still not even worth mentioning."

Everyone then turned their attention to the second card, Gaara's card. "Now keep in mind that I have less info on the foreign ninja than I do our own," Kabuto said. "As you can see, I have nothing on Gaara's stats at the moment. But I can confirm that he's been on eight C-ranked and one B-ranked mission, which is surprising for a young genin. However, there's something even more surprising about him. He's completed every mission without a single scratch."

"Without a scratch?" Kenshi echoed, glancing over at the red haired nin at the far end of the room. "That… that just seems impossible."

"I'm just telling you what I've managed to learn about him," Kabuto replied. "There's some rather stiff competition is year."

"It's not fair," Ino complained, her eyes locked on Sakura. "You're in a four-man team _and_ you have Sasuke."

The older genin chuckled at her words. "I wouldn't consider them lucky by any means," he said. "The Exam I was in last year had two four-man teams and in all the team sections they were handicapped throughout most stages of the Exam. In fact, one of those teams didn't even make it into the final individual part of the Exam. All an extra man got them was double the work of everyone else."

"What kind of handicaps?" Sakura asked, a nervous edge to her voice.

Kabuto just smirked back at her. "That would ruin the surprise." He then pulled out three more cards. "Speaking of surprises, take a look at this."

He threw the cards down allowing them all to look at them. But these cards had barely any info on them compared to the first two. The photos were just black squares with question marks while the stats charts were blank. About the only data on the cards were the missions; zero D-ranked, eighteen C-ranked and one B-ranked, and of course their names, Kagyaku, Joukei and Ikkatsu.

"Huh? What is this?" Naruto asked, confused by the cards.

"See those three over there in the corner," Kabuto said, pointing over his shoulder. "Those are the three genin that I was referring to earlier."

The trio of nin were standing in the corner, away from all the others in the room. They were all covered in black hooded cloaks, concealing their faces. One was kneeling on the floor, prostrating himself in prayer, the second stood motionlessly with his arms across his chest while the third seemed to twitch and move constantly as though barely able to contain their energy.

"They're the only team competing from Yamigakura, the Village Hidden in Darkness. And frankly, they are the one team that I want to stay as far away from as I can," Kabuto added.

Many of the rookies paled upon hearing the name of the village but not all of them. "Yamigakura? Never heard of it," Naruto commented.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Really? I didn't think that there was any child that didn't hear the stories of Yami nin taking away naughty children at night so they can devour their souls."

"Them?" a surprised Naruto said as he glanced at the trio. "They don't look so scary. They're just a bunch of guys in robes."

"I thought that same thing at the beginning of my first Chūnin Exam. Then I witnessed them in action." Kabuto paused and shuttered. "Take my advice, if you see them then run away as fast as you can the other way."

"Hey! You three in the robes!" Naruto suddenly shouted at the Yami nin, surprising everyone. "I'm not afraid of you guys!"

For a moment that seemed more like an eternity, not a single word was uttered in the room as everyone stared at the blond. No one could believe that anyone would shout at another team like an idiot.

Suddenly, the third genin took off racing for Naruto. The blond threw up his arms to protect himself but as the attacking genin neared, Kabuto dove in front of him. The Yami genin flipped backwards, driving their feet into the silver haired teen's chin. Kabuto flew back, slamming into the Naruto and knocking him down too. The foreign nin drew a kunai knife as they stood over the two.

"That's enough maggots!" a voice called out just moments before an explosion of smoke separated them. The smoke cleared, revealing a dozen Leaf nin. At the head of the group was a tall, scarred man clad in a black leather trenchcoat. "I'm Ibiki Morino, the proctor and chief examiner of the first part of the Chūnin Exams," the man barked. "From this moment on, any further fighting between team during this section will result in an automatic disqualification for both teams."

The Yami genin let out a low hiss but relented and started walking back to where the rest of the Yami nin stood. Kabuto and Naruto got back up to their feet with some help from their fellow Leaf genin. "Thanks," Naruto said to the older genin once he was standing up again.

"Just be careful," Kabuto warned as he placed his glasses back on his face. "You don't want those guys after you in this Exam."

"Now, turn in your application forms," Ibiki said, his voice ending any further conversation between. "Once you hand them in, you will be given a seat number. Report immediately to your seat and once you're all sitting at your seats, we'll hand out the written part of the test."

At those words, Naruto instantly forgot what had happened moments before and started panicking about the idea of taking a paper test; one of the few things that he was absolutely hated.

Five minutes later, all of the genin were seated among the rows of tables within the class, separated from their teammates with an upside-down test lying before them.

The chūnin that had accompanied Ibiki were now all sitting down on chairs along one of the walls, watching the younger genin intently. It was unnerving for many of them. Those that had never taken the Chūnin Exam before could only wonder what this test was going to be about and how tough it could be, while for those who had taken the Chūnin Exam before were nervous about how about much harder and more brutal it would be than a normal examination.

The jonin tapped a piece of chalk on the blackboard, drawing their attention. "Listen up maggots because I'm not going to repeat myself," Ibiki said. "I have a few rules to explain before we begin this test. I will write them down, but I'm not answering any questions."

Ibiki turned to the blackboard, writing as he began to explain the test. "Rule number one, for this test you all start off with ten points. This test has ten questions. Get a question wrong, you lose a point. You get them all right; you get a score of ten. For example, if you answer three questions incorrectly, your score becomes seven."

"Rule number two," the man continued, not bothering to pause. "This test will be done as a team. We will combine the scores of each team member's test to determine which teams pass and fail. For those teams with more than three members, we will be using the three lowest scores."

Sasuke scowled at the jonin's words. Kakashi had warned them that they would be handicapped in the first parts of the exams, but he hadn't expected that it was going to be this bad. He wasn't all that worried about Sakura or Kenshi; they would likely do alright with this test. But the same could not be said for Naruto. He was an idiot, plain and simple. This was the worst kind of test for him and since he was their teammate, his weakness had become their weakness as well.

"Rule number three, my assistants and I will be watching you all quite closely. If any of us get a hint that you are cheating, you will lose two points. If you get caught five times, both you and your team will be disqualified." A smirk spread across Ibiki's scarred face. "If you aspire to become chūnin, if you want to be the best shinobi you can be then you'd better start acting like you already are."

A bead of sweat slid down from beneath Naruto's headband. The best bet he had was to cheat. However if he was caught it would cost not just him but his whole team. Naruto could feel the eyes of his teammates' boring into the back of his head. How he did on this test would affect Team Seven as a whole. For their sake, Naruto knew he could not fail.

Ibiki set his chalk down and stared at the genin sitting before him. "You have one hour, starting… _now_!"

* * *

The Jinsei Iroiro Lounge, one of the more respected establishments in Konoha due in no small part to its favored patrons. Only the drunkest of fools would dare cause trouble in the favorite bar of the Leaf shinobi, both active and retired. Yet despite it's popularity, it was a rather nondescript two story building with only a large sign displaying only its name above the entrance.

At the moment it was seeing far more business than it normally did as many foreign jonin whose students were participating in the Chūnin Exams were relaxing within its walls. Most were keeping to them themselves or with other shinobi from their various Villages, waiting to see how their genin faired.

"With our students taking the exams, we've got nothing but time on our hands," Kakashi commented, letting out a bored sigh.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Asuma Sarutobi, the jonin of Team Ten replied, a cigarette hanging in his mouth. "I wouldn't be too surprised if we become busy again pretty soon."

"Hmm? Why do you say that?" Kakashi asked.

Asuma breathed out a puff of smoke. "Word is the first chief examiner is Ibiki Morino."

Dread filled Kakashi. Of all the people to be an examiner in this year's Chūnin Exam, Ibiki was one of the absolute worst. "That sadist? Isn't he a little much for them?"

Kurenai Yūhi, the jonin of Team Eight raised an eyebrow at his words. "Sadist?"

Asuma glanced at the female ninja. "Kurenai, you're still new to the ranks of the jonin so you're not familiar with him. But Ibiki Morino is a pro…"

"A pro at what?" a curious Kurenai inquired.

"Torture and interrogation," a voice answered.

The three jonin turned to the source of the voice. Shuzaya limped into the lounge, approaching the trio. "Ibiki Morino is the Head of the Black Ops Torture and Interrogation Unit," she continued, sitting down on the couch next to them. "And he happens to be one of the best we've had in quite some time."

Kurenai paled in shock and horror. "They've sent someone like that against them?"

Shuzaya nodded. "And that loudmouth Anko is in charge of the second part." The former jonin chuckled. "Here I thought my first Chūnin Exam had been tough. You're students will be lucky to make it to Anko and the second part."

"Worried about your kid?" Asuma asked, taking another drag of his cigarette.

At that moment, a nail file sliced through the cigarette before embedding itself in the far wall, surprising both him and Kurenai while Kakashi remained as impassive as ever. "I can't stand that filthy habit of yours," the retired jonin commented as he. "And no, I'm not worried about Kenshi. Ibiki is a master at what he does. The worst he'll do is scare the hell out of them, he's some amateur that could accidentally screw up a kid's mind."

With an annoyed sigh, Asuma threw what remained of his cigarette in an ashtray before nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Ibiki understands the human mind completely. That's what makes him so dangerous. He knows how to figure out your weaknesses and then uses it to make you crack."

* * *

Sasuke's eyes rapidly scanned the questions before him, studying each one before moving onto the next. By the time he reached the bottom of the page only one thing was clear. He couldn't answer a single question on this test. Despite his intelligence, all nine questions were utterly beyond him. He couldn't hope to answer these questions if he had the entire day to work on them.

And then there was the unusual tenth question. It didn't make sense. Why bother holding back question for the final fifteen minutes? It would be easier to just have a tenth question written down. Could there be something else going on here beyond just the test?

Could he afford to spend time thinking about this instead of attempting to answer the questions?

* * *

For Sakura, the test they have given was difficult but not impossible...

...And yet she was afraid. Not for herself, but for Naruto. Sakura was certain that Sasuke would be able to past this test; he was after all the Rookie of the Year. She was also confident that Kenshi would fair alright too.

But Naruto… well Naruto was an idiot, plain and simple. There was no way he could answer _any_ of these questions much less pass the test. But worse, even should she receive a perfect score it would probably be excluded from their combined score while Naruto's abysmal score would be counted towards their score.

'_Our only chance is for both Sasuke and me to get perfect scores,'_ Sakura thought as she nervously nibbled onto her pencil's eraser. _'At least then we'll have ten points. Hopefully Kenshi will do well too, giving us a chance at moving on.'_

_

* * *

_

Kenshi scratched the back of his head, barely holding back a frustrated groan. He had managed to crack the cipher that was the first question or at least he hoped he had but the rest of first nine questions might as well have been written in gibberish. Sure there was the strange tenth question but that wouldn't matter if he couldn't get some of these questions answered.

'_Well… I guess I have no other option then,_' he thought. _'I'm gonna have to use it if we're going to stand a chance at passing here. Of course, if they catch me we could be screwed.' _

The brown haired shinobi leaned back in his seat, his left hand rubbing his right shoulder. His right hand hung limply at side. The image of a black spider slid down along his skin from underneath the wrist of his sleeve, reaching his fingertips before falling to the floor as a glob of ink. But instead of the glob hitting the ground the arachnid landed in its place.

Without a sound the spider took off for one of the other genin, seeking out their answers. And all Kenshi could do now is wait and pray that none of the proctors would catch him cheating.

* * *

But as bad as the others were faring, Naruto was on the verge of screaming. He hated written tests with a passion and he had the grades to prove it.

And now those same grades had come back to haunt him. Every question was impossible. Cold dread filled him as he arrived at the simple truth; there was no way he could pass this test. And if he couldn't pass this test his whole team would fail and get kicked out of the Exams.

It was ten minutes into the test when a kunai knife flew dangerously close to Naruto's head, striking the paper of a Leaf genin behind him. "That's five strikes and you're out," a proctor announced. "Take you teammates and go."

But they weren't the only ones, in the coming minutes more teams were disqualified for being caught cheating one too many times.

* * *

While Naruto had been unwilling to risk cheating, others were more than ready to take the risk. Whether it was confidence in ability to avoid detection or desperation to make it to the next part, many of the applicants were using any means necessary to answer the questions correctly. Neji Hyuga of Team Guy was using his Byakugan to see the answers of others while his teammates were using several small mirrors attached to the fixture of a burnt out ceiling light to achieve the same thing. Akumaru who was still on Kiba's head, was spying on those around the boy and passing on the answers to his partner. Similarly, Shino was using one of his beetles to learn what other genin were writing. Even Sasuke was using his Sharingan to cheat, copying the movements of a teen in front of him to get his answers.

A smirk spread across Ino's face as her consciousness returned to her body. She had just returned from possessing Choji's body and providing him with the answers she had stolen earlier from Sakura. Just as she expected, Billboard Brow had all the solutions in that oversized head of hers. And with the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu at her disposal, she could take those answers like plucking fruit from a tree.

The blond paused when she realized that there was something on her right shoulder. Glancing down at it, she froze. It was a spider and not a tiny one either but a decent size one. Ino let out a loud shriek before frantically brushing it off.

No sooner was the spider gone than the sound of someone clearing their throat sent a chill down her spine. "Is something the matter?" Ibiki asked, his calm voice sounding more intimidating than anything else she had ever heard before.

"J-just…just a spider," Ino stuttered.

"Spiders are the least of your worries right now," the jonin replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I suggest you return to your test before I decide to boot you and your entire team for this interruption."

"Yes sir," the girl said, vigorously shaking her head.

* * *

'_That was close,' _Kenshi thought, trying desperately to hide his nervousness while he waited for his spider to return. _'If she had tried to squash it I would have been screwed.'_

He would not have to wait long as Ino was only two rows in front of him. In a few minutes he felt the spider touch his toes before it transformed back into its original state, crawling up his skin. Kenshi placed his left hand on his temple, rubbing his forehead. As he did, the spider crawled up to his palm and once it came to sit there, the tattoo transformed into writing, specifically the answer to the second question. Fighting back a smirk, he began to copy the answer while still hoping that he wasn't going to get caught for cheating.

* * *

Time continued on and more were eliminated for cheating as the teams fought to stay in the Exam. Finally the clock hit the forty-five minute mark and Ibiki spoke, stopping all the remaining genin. "It's time," he said. "Get ready for the tenth question."

Many ninja, Naruto among them, nervously stared at the scarred man. But as he was about to continue, the classroom door opened. The Sand genin Kankuro who had left to go to the bathroom had returned with the proctor that was keeping an eye on him. "Heh… Looks like you're in luck," Ibiki said with a smirk. "I trust your time playing with dolls hasn't been completely wasted."

Kankuro stiffened for a second before moving back towards his seat. Once he was sitting back down in his seat and the 'proctor' was back with the others, Ibiki continued, "But before I tell you the tenth question, there is one important rule you need to know first. You all have the choice as to whether or not you take this final question."

"A choice? And what if we refuse to take the question?" Temari called out, asking what all of them were thinking.

"If you refuse to answer the question then your score will immediately drop to zero and you fail along with your teammates," the jonin replied.

"Then why would we refuse to take the question?" another boy demanded.

"Because of the other rule," Ibiki said. "If you answer the question incorrectly you will _never _be allowed to take another Chūnin Selection Exam again.

A pin could have been dropped and it would have been heard throughout the entire room with the silence that had filled it. Many were in disbelief at the man's words. Never take another Chūnin Exam? Never able to move beyond the rank of genin? It was a terrifying prospect for the young nin. "You can't be serious!" Kiba shouted. "There are plenty of genin here that have been in other Exams!"

Ibiki let out a deep chuckle. "I wasn't making the rules in past years. I am now," he replied. "I've been up front with you. If you're having doubts then I suggest you take the failing grade and try again next year."

"Those of you who choose not to take the tenth question, raise your hands," he instructed. "Once your number has been confirmed, you and your team will be dismissed."

For a moment that seemed like an eternity, the room was silent until one genin raised his hand. "I-I'd like to quit," he stuttered.

With that it was like the floodgates had been opened. More shinobi began to raise their hands as the thought of never moving beyond the rank of genin weighted down like a mountain upon them. The proctors quickly marked down each applicant and their teammates before sending them out of the room and the Chūnin Exams. But as dozens of genin were leaving another hand shot into the air, surprising most of the members of Team Seven. Naruto had raised his hand up as well.

"Never underestimate me!" Naruto shouted, slapping his hand down on the table before any of the proctors could record his number. "I don't quit and I don't run!"

All eyes were on him, from his teammates and all the other teens taking the test to Ibiki and his proctors. "You guys can act tough all you want! You're not gonna scare me off! I don't care if I do get stuck at the genin level for the rest of my life!" he proclaimed his unblinking eyes locked on the jonin. "I'll still become Hokage someday!"

"This decision could change your life forever," the impassive Ibiki replied. "If for any reason you'd like to quit, now is your last chance."

The blond shook his head in response. "No way. I never go back on my word."

While his words had no affect on the jonin, it did on all of the others taking the test that were still nervous about failing the final question. Naruto's words and his lack of fear strengthened them, driving back their own. No one else raised their hands to drop out.

Ibiki glanced over at his proctors, receiving nods from all of them which he returned in kind. "Very well then, there's nothing else but for me to tell you… that you all have passed the first test."

* * *

And so ends the first part of the Exams. Of course up next is the Forest of Death which along with the Prelims, is shaping up quite nicely.

Now a few people have asked about how close this will stay to the Naruto canon as well as my earlier Bleach/Naruto crossover. For the most part, this will stay close to the major Naruto canon events but with some changes. Though there will be some more significant changes in later post time skip. As to it's relationship to my Bleach/Naruto story, fans of that story can consider this the backstory for the most part. They will diverge roughly sometime after Jiraiya's death.


End file.
